Icons: Opera House, Idriess Manuscripts, Art and History

12 noon, Sunday 7th April 2024. Timed Auction.

What is more Iconic than the Sydney Opera House?

For sale this auction is a copy of the Original Submission made by Jorn Utzon to the Sydney Opera House Selection Committee for the design of the Sydney Opera House. Cahill decided to have built a grand opera house where the old tram sheds lay and conducted an international competition for the best design. 233 designs were submitted.  In 1956, Utzon’s design was announced as the winner. 14 years later the finished building was opened.

Australia’s greatest 20th Century author – Ion Idriess.

We have six manuscripts for sale.

Lot 2 is an unpublished story by Idriess describing a horrific plague of rats that emerged in outback New South Wales in the early 1880’s. The rats numbered millions, and stripped everything in sight in their pursuit of any possible food. Idriess writes:

‘Drovers and bushmen experienced nerve-wracking nights while travelling along the path of the hurrying plague, for the rats swarmed like ants upon their saddlery and sent the horses stampeding mad with fright… Rats gnawing the leathern hobbles, rats gnawing their hooves, leaping up their legs, no wonder the horses went mad. Every drover caught in the path of the plague had to hang all saddlery and gear and everything eatable up in the branches of trees.’

Pictured Lot 3 Story titled “In Prehistoric Australia”, written by Ion Idriess, circa 1935.

First editions and Private Press

We have the first issue of the first edition of The Man from Snowy River from AB Paterson(Lot 48). For the completest, we also have the third issue of the first edition The Man from Snowy River from AB Paterson (Lot 49).

We also have a first edition of Winter Trees by Sylvia Plath (Lot 55). For the Private Press collector, we have a copy of The Attorney-General of New Barataria by Daniel Henry Deniehy with striking woodcuts designed and engraved by Lionel Lindsay. Signed by the author the artist and Shea the publisher.

12 noon, Sunday 7th April 2024. Timed Auction.